This invention relates to a package and method for shipping a plurality of multiple articles and more particularly is directed to a new and novel method for packaging and shipping a plurality of folded basket beverage carriers having a lenticular cross-section when folded flat and when banded together.
The present system of shipping folded basket beverage carriers to the customer is by utilizing what is known in the art as a standard RSC container (regular slotted container). Such a container is shown in the Applicant's drawing FIG. 3 and is labeled generally with the numeral 10. The container 10 has placed therein a plurality of folded basket beverage carriers 12 of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing. The beverage carrier 12 generally has a central section 14, an upper offset handle section 16 which is fixed to the central section 14. In addition, the carrier 12 has a lower offset bottom section 18 also fixed to the central section 14. By referring to FIG. 2, there is shown an end view, taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing the nature of the folded beverage carrier 12 and what is meant by a lenticular shape. The carriers may also be formed in shapes other than lenticular. Beverage carriers of the type described may consist of up to eight material layers in the central section 14 which would result in a thickness shown generally by the arrows 20 in FIG. 2. In addition, the upper handle section 16 may consist of only two material layers resulting in a thickness of lesser amount and as shown by the arrow 22 in FIG. 2. The upper handle section 16 may also consist of more than two material layers depending upon the particular carrier design. In addition, the lower offset bottom section 18 may consist of only two thicknesses of material as shown by the arrow 24 in FIG. 2 and may also consist of more thicknesses. Because of the varying thicknesses described and also due to the fact that the carrier has provided on the outside thereof a protective coating, an inherent slip is imparted between two similar carriers whenever the carriers are stacked side by side or on top of each other. The lenticular shape is illustrated by the dashed line numbered 26 in FIG. 2 and would represent that shape taken by the carrier whenever a plurality of similarly constructed carriers were folded flat and were banded together and stacked.
Conventional strapping or banding of these carriers cannot be used because such banding imparts a deleterious warp to the articles and, from their unique shape of the central section 14 in combination with the upper handle 16 and the lower offset bottom section 18, the stack of carriers is not able to remain "squared up" during shipment. It has been found that under vibration and impact conditions, the stacks of folded carriers would start to swivel, fan out, turn and disintegrate.
It is known in the prior art to horizontally band loose articles and vertically stack them on top of each other as shown by the U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,834, issued to W. W. Woodward on Feb. 24, 1959. This patent concerns rectangular articles which are stacked but the articles do not present the problems presented by the packaging of the before mentioned folded basket beverage carriers having multiple thicknesses of material when folded. It is also known to band container blanks having a rectangular shape as taught in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,207, issued to H. W. Wilson on July 21, 1959 and the U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,871, issued to H. W. Kieckhefer on Apr. 18, 1961. The Wilson patent is directed to rectangular articles such as knocked down flat corrugated boxes which are banded under compression are palletized on edge in such a manner that a full pallet structure becomes unnecessary. The Kieckhefer patent concerns a banding method for flat, rectangular stacks of cartons in which the strap is replaced by a tension glued broad container board band applied in compression. These patents have little in common with the Applicant's novel invention other than utilizing banding which is a technique widely used in palletizing today.
It is also known to package a plurality of multiple articles by scoring them and wrapping the scored and folded articles for shipment with the wrapped package being banded in several places on the outside thereof. This is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,340,422, issued to T. S. Okonski on Feb. 1, 1944. This patent utilized known strapping techniques over protective corrugated outer sheets to unitize objects for palletized shipment and is not directed to the same problem presented by folded basket beverage carriers having lenticular shapes when packaged.